


Definitely Good, Maybe Better

by deliaofearth



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2014-09-14
Packaged: 2018-02-16 10:58:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2267205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deliaofearth/pseuds/deliaofearth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose Weasley is probably the first Weasley to not be in Gryffindor, and definitely the first Weasley to be friends (more?) with a Slytherin - and a Malfoy at that! </p>
<p>Will follow Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley from year 1, all the way through Hogwarts</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Confusion on the Hogwarts Express

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Abby for beta-ing, my current plan is to post a new chapter every 2 weeks with each chapter covering 1 month (except this first one, which is more to set up the story)

Steam poured into the platform, rising from a scarlet train that had just rounded the corner. The few families that were already there wandered about, most of them waiting for friends or fretting over children. Typical of his father, Scorpius just had to get to the platform half an hour early. He stood in his stiff black robes, with his hair combed back, more still and silent than any child should be. His mother was double-checking his trunk for all of his supplies and generally fretting over him, while his father tried to calm her down. Why they worried so much was beyond him, and Scorpius wished that they would just stop it before they embarrassed him any more in front of his new classmates. The clock crept slowly and after what felt like ages in this boiling hot train station, other families began to trickle in. Soon the station was filled with laughter and the cries of friends reuniting after a long summer holiday apart.   
It was alone that Scorpius boarded the train, but it wasn’t long before he spotted someone he knew. Motioning to join him in an empty compartment, he turned to Eloise Zabini.

“Eloise. Hello. How has your summer been?” He said with the trademark Malfoy drawl, as he reclined against the worn bench.

“Oh hello, Scorpius, it’s been nice. Yours?” 

“Well, as good as to be expected in that awful house. There are cobwebs everywhere and absolutely nothing to do.”

Eloise nodded sympathetically. “Yes I suppose that would be dull. Are you looking forward to school?”

“I suppose so, it’ll be nice to meet people with good values for a change. My father has already bought me a house scarf and everything, I mean you’re not really supposed to, because we haven’t technically been Sorted yet, but obviously I’ll be in Slytherin.”

“I don’t know, Scorpius, Mulciber’s whole family were Slytherins, I mean they were even-” she glanced around furtively and whispered, “they were death eaters in the war, he’s been raised by his aunt because they’re still in Azkaban. And HE is in Ravenclaw! Lavender, that is, Lavender Patil says-”

“Don’t tell me you’re still hanging around with that scum of a Ravenclaw! Honestly, El, you need to get your priorities straight in terms of friendships or you might wind up in Hufflepuff!” He snorted.

Eloise glared at him and continued. “Lavender, yes my friend Lavender – and by the way, isn’t it advantageous to Slytherin if we have informants elsewhere? ‘Know thine enemy’ and all that? Anyway, Lavender was saying that his family nearly disowned him they were so upset…”

Scorpius tuned out Eloise’s accusations against Mulciber and gazed absently out the compartment window. Suddenly, he stiffened and a look came over his face as if he had smelled something foul. 

“Scorpius? Are you even listening? What is it?”

“Potters” He practically spit out.

The two black haired boys were walking ahead and joking, being annoying prats as befit the name of Potter. Scorpius sneared at them and was about to say something probably spiteful to Eloise, when he noticed one last Potter. Well, probably not a Potter but they were all idiots anyway… She was small but fantastically loud, Scorpius could hear her through the door as she called to her relatives. And she had the brightest, reddest hair he had ever seen.

Eloise sneared “Ugh, I bet she’s a Weasley. Her freckles! She looks like she’s been playing in mud. Come, Scorpius, we’ll be there soon…”

 

\---------------------------------------

 

Rose Weasley grew up surrounded by kids to play with. She had her own brother (who she would argue didn’t count) but she also had all of her cousins, and basically-cousins (well, only Teddy fit into that category) as well as all of their friends and a couple local muggles that she got along well with. So, when her father pointed out another kid to her, she was surprised that she didn’t recognize him. Her confusion cleared up quickly with her dad’s explanation of one notorious Malfoy family, the youngest being Scorpius. Rose, who was loyal to her parents and to her uncle, resolved not to like him.   
The train ride was a blur of exploding snaps and chocolate frogs, and although she had two older cousins to prepare her for the moment, she still gasped and sat still in shock when the impressive façade of Hogwarts came into view.  
The boats were unpleasant and wet and the walk to the castle felt like it would take forever, but soon enough Headmistress McGonagall was leading them into the Great Hall and placing the old beaten down hat on a stool. The anxious first years stared in anticipation at the hat, which for many of them was more terrifying then battling a mountain troll. Suddenly, the brim split wide open and the hat burst into it's Sorting song. Rose was to scared to care about the words and focused on mentally preparing herself.   
"Gryffindor." She thought. "You'll be a Gryffindor like Mum and Dad, like Teddy and James and probably Albus too. Gryffindor. Gryffindor. Gryffindor."

The Headmistress was now pulling out a sheet of parchment and adjusting her glasses, and the rustling of the paper was the only sound heard in the enormous hall.

‘Aarons, Samantha’ was the first to be Sorted – Ravenclaw, and the rest followed.

“Burns, Raul”

“Gryffindor!”

Rose fidgeted nervously where she stood, overanalyzing every result. Finnerty, Alyssa had parents in Ravenclay and she got Gryffindor. What if that happened to Rose? Even worse, what if Alyssa had taken Rose's place in Gryffindor? One Sorting was no surprise, however. When “Malfoy, Scorpius” was Sorted into Slytherin, she rolled her eyes. As if they even needed to bother putting that stupid hat on his head. Pureblood twit.

“Potter, Albus” was Sorted into Gryffindor (to Al’s obvious relief) and the name caused a bit of twittering among the girls. 

When finally McGonagall called, “Weasley, Rose,” Rose could barely walk to the stool, her legs were so shaky. She placed the hat on her head and-  
“Hmm let’s see…” Said a small nasally voice.

“Yes… a Weasley… well, normally I’d say the choice was obvious but…”

“But?!” thought Rose in alarm

“Yes, but. As in but.... HUFFLEPUFF”

The last word was said aloud, but unlike with Albus, there were no cheers, no clapping. There was mostly just silence. Eventually, someone started clapping, which got the whole hall doing it, but they sounded unsure. Never in the history of Hogwarts had there ever been a non-Gryffindor Weasley.  
Rose sulked after the rest of her house after dinner, staring longingly at the receding backs of the Gryffindors, wishing she were up there in that common room where no doubt everyone was joking and laughing at the fact that she was a stupid old Hufflepuff. Not even the sight of the cozy Hufflepuff common room, or the welcoming faces of her new house could cheer her up. Why wasn’t she in Gryffindor? Was there something wrong with her? She did not sleep easily that night, and her dreams were filled with her family's jeering faces.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose's first month

One month.

A month of classes, a month of magic, a month of Hogwarts.

That's all it took for Rose Weasley to decide that she hated Scorpius Malfoy.

It all started when Al got the ridiculous notion that he was going to follow in his fathers footsteps and went with James to Quidditch tryouts. Of course Rose had to go and watch them, but she was the only non Gryffindor on the pitch so she ended up sitting alone. The players tromped around the pitch for a bit, the younger ones puffing out their chests and trying to look impressive while the older ones rolled their eyes and acted superior. Eventually Malcolm McLagen (the captain and Beater) called for attention and divided the players up into groups. James went over to where the prospective Keepers were standing, but Al looked unsure of where to go. He looked nervously over at where the Seekers were standing, probably thinking of following in Uncle Harry's footsteps, but after a pointed cough from McLagen, he hurried over to the Chasers, the position he always played when they played family Quidditch.

The tryouts went over Rose's head, she had never had a mind for sports, but as McLagen was trying the Beaters, Malfoy strolled onto the field. He glanced around at the players and started climbing onto the stands. Rose thought that he would just go off to sit alone, but, for some reason that she couldn't even begin to guess, he took up a seat next to her. Thankfully tryouts didn't last much longer, but during that time the silence was stone cold and Rose's glare could've frozen the Sahara.

As it turned out, both of her cousins had gotten on to the team (through more of the virtue of being Potters rather then skill, especially in Al's case, but at least he wasn't dreadful). Rose stood to congratulate them, when she heard a drawling voice from behind her. "How on  _earth_ did Albus Potter make it onto the team? He could barely stay on his broom! I suppose names count for more then talent these days."

Rose's face flushed and she turned on her heal angrily. " _Yes_ I suppose you would know, wouldn't you Malfoy? Daddy's boy through and through"

Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "Come on Weasley, don't tell me you think Potter actually deserved a place on the team?"

Rose spluttered for a minute and then stomped her foot and ran off toward her cousins. When they asked her about Malfoy, she just turned her nose up and said "snotty pureblood."

James and Albus spent the evening trying to figure out why on earth Rose was a Hufflepuff.

The second incident of typical Malfoy horridness happened a week or so after that. Rose was adjusting to life as a Hufflepuff, even enjoying some of the aspect (who wouldn't want to live right next to the kitchens?) And she had made a steady group of friends. Her classes were manageable, though she worried that she might be failing potions. Slughorn tut-tutted every time he saw her work and lamented at the fact that the "Evens genes must have skipped this one."

Rose was determined to prove him wrong, which is why she and one of her friends, Emilia, were feverishly trying to brew an antidote to common poisons, while the rest of the class packed up and slowly started to leave. Unfortunately for Rose it was looking like she would have to skip lunch for this potion when Malfoy - who of course, had finished his ages ago and was strolling around and commenting on other people's potions - walked past theirs. First she saw a flash of blond hair and then she heard a snort of derision.

"If perfect Weasley can't brew a decent antidote then there really is no hope for this generation!" He remarked gleefully

"If stupid Malfoy doesn't shut up then..." She couldn't think of an ending

"Hm? What was that Weasley?"

"Then something bad will happen to him!" She finished hotly and glared at him. 

 "Best you can come up with, Weasley? Alright then. Here." He flicked his wand and her potion turned from a nasty grey color to jet black, the color it was supposed to be.

Rose stared at him in shock. "You-you cant use correcting spells! It's against the rules!"

Scorpius shrugged. Rose glared at him. "Don't think I don't know your tricks, Malfoy, my Dad has warned me all about you"

"Sniveling to Dad are we? I guess that is the Hufflepuff way. You can thank me later." And with that he grabbed his bag and walked out the door, without so much as a glance back.

Rose turned to her friend and huffed in annoyance. "Did you just see what happened? Now Slughorn's gonna think we were the ones that did the cheating! I  _hate_ Malfoy!"

Emilia looked at her in confusion. "Wait, you're  _mad_ at Malfoy for fixing our potion? That doesn't seem like a thing someone would do to be mean. I mean, not that you're wrong!" she added quickly, "but, y'know, maybe he's not so bad."

Typical Hufflepuff. Malfoy might have Emilia fooled but Rose knew there was something else going on here. "No, there's an ulterior motive! Can't you see?"

Emilia shrugged and bottled the potion, smiling sweetly at Slughorn as she walked out the door, all the while Rose was plotting revenge on that slimy piece of pureblood scum.

 

 


End file.
